1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method for generating of localizer slice images of an examination volume of a subject for examination planning (in particular in a whole-body examination) with a magnetic resonance system, the localizer slice images being in three orthogonal planes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For generation of image exposures in magnetic resonance tomography, the region to be examined must be brought into the homogenous central volume of the magnetic field. The size of the magnetic field central volume determines the size of the region that can be examined without requiring a movement of the table on which the patient lies. Overview images (known as localizer slice images) must initially be obtained for each individual scan region that, in currently typical systems, have a size of up to approximately 50 cm, and in fact must be measured for all three body axis orientations, therefore perpendicular to one another.
The planning of an examination is difficult, in particular when a number of examination regions are to be acquired (for example in a whole-body examination), since an overview of adjacent examination regions or the entire body of the patient does not occur in the planning phase. Only the current examination region is shown in the image segments that serve for planning, such that orientation thereof is difficult. In addition, for further examination planning the operator must wait for the acquisition of the three localizer slice images for the current examination region.